Srinagar: People observing Ramadan fast under sweltering heat in the Kashmir Valley panicked on Tuesday as electric supply suddenly stopped due to another snag in the country's Northern Grid.

"Yes, there has been a technical snag in the Northern Grid and we are not able to draw any electric power from it at present", said an engineer of the power development department (PDD) here.

People in Srinagar said the power failure was causing immense hardship as they are observing Ramadan fast amid an unusual spell of hot weather in Kashmir Valley. "It was 32.6 degrees Celsius on Monday and even on Tuesday it is very uncomfortable. The problem has now become worse because of the electric power failure", said Abdul Majid, 65, a resident of Ganderbal district.

Because of the longer days in July, people have to fast for nearly 16 hours.